Tag Archives: marketing

I’m trying to save some money and thought I would check out this Great Value Brand at WalMart. NO! For one thing check out the price difference between it and your favorite brand. In cases it appears that it can be as much as 30 cents higher than a national brand. But here’s a way ‘they’ won’t let you do this…Remove the competition of the shelf. Let’s see, cottage cheese area in the store had almost 90% as the Great Value label and very few of the old standbys like Nordica or Lucern. This is just wrong. In some cases the quantity is less but the actual package is larger in size or there is an indent on the bottom you don’t see until you flip it over. Another thing is that they put it on an endcap so you can’t see it and compare it with others. And because it is on the endcap you are more likely to grab it for convenience.

Next time you are seeking to save money, take the time to really look at the price differences between what you prefer and this Great Value thing at Walmart.

What is really going on with marketing of everything from ‘stay at home moms’ and ‘single mothers’. Is this real or is this a new trend in psychological techniques to get a sympathy purchase. What do you think when you see an incentive that says something like: we will donate x% of sales to save the y ? Are you more likely to buy something from a group that claims to be ‘green’? I’m throwing this thought out because I feel that a new marketing strategy is being used just to get us to buy more and more when we have less and less to spend.

Sure we want to help a particular group when they say certain things. But, how much does it really help and how do you know it actually is going where it claims? Does anyone out there take time to check the legitimacy of these ‘social strings’ attached to get a sale?

I offer a product that works and has a great track record. The purchaser all of a sudden changes to another vendor simply because they make a specific claim. They end up paying more, getting worse service, and perhaps have their name sold to every other marketing group.

Are you more likely to click here for a special business or click here for a business that supports ‘Save the Children’ ? Would you buy a cell phone that is designed for seniors and children buy clicking here or just doing ‘regular’ cell phone shopping by clicking here?

I was reading across several news sites and blogs and came across a new term ‘NOprah’. What does it mean? How did this happen? Could it be that there are people that actually DON’T like Oprah Winfrey?????? It can’t be. There’s got to be some mistake. I mean who could not find the great works and inspiring words she provides on a daily basis in e-media and print intriguing? Then I started to think about new hype that is spinning around her name ( and not given the right to use) on many,many e-products that are pushed on us each day.

Slick marketing people have started to realize is if you use the name Oprah in any way like ‘As talked about by Oprah’ or ‘As shown by Oprah’ we just can’t resist at least reading more about what is being pushed on us. How does it work? Why do we constantly need to have something that a celebrity endorses ( or not really endorses) ? So what? An article released way back in 2006 from the Columbia News Service talks about how we either love or hate these little words uttered by such names.

How many people came here just to find something about Oprah just becuase I tagged the name? Just because a particular satellite radio group mentioned a program starting an the network saw their stock value suddenly raise and Oprah had not been heard yet! Wow! This is fantastic! Maybe a way to monetize your blogs even more?

But let’s pull back a moment and really think about what is going on. I wonder If any of the books, self-help shows, entertainment programs, or what have you would have made it without her. I really wonder what happens in the dimly lit board rooms of the ‘O’ Empire and what the authors or show hosts give up to become part of the ‘O’ legion. I wonder even more how much Oprah is actually involved in these deals (if at all) and if the contracts are more soul binding than realized to a mega-corporation built totally on a name of fame?

I hope there are a few out there will think about cultural icons and what they really do to/for us over time and if we could make it without them. I hope e few of you will leave comments on this.